Notice of Intent: Promote Research and Preservation on National Park Service Collections

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This project provides a museum-focused educational work experience opportunity for anthropology, archeology, and/or museum studies students which will complement classroom instruction. The students will acquire and apply diverse skills related to best practices in preventive care, accountability and general collections management as they perform object cataloging, labeling, photographing, rehousing, and storing National Park Service (NPS) collections housed at the Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC), a large NPS repository. Students will work with a variety of objects which will expose them to material culture from the Southwest through multiple periods of history and prehistory. They also will acquire skills in researching archeological field records and other archival materials in order to identify accurate provenience and association with other objects. This project also will provide an ideal opportunity for pre-graduate participants interested in artifact conservation to acquire diverse skills related to conservation and preservation of historic, ethnographic, and archeological collections. The additional training and practical work experience this project provides will enhance the studentsâ¿¿ employability in the public or private sector. This project fulfills a public purpose of supporting Government objectives by providing a museum-focused educational work opportunity for students with museum interest that complements classroom instruction. The students will acquire and apply diverse skills related to preventive care, accountability, and general collections management protocols. Students will work with objects, specimens, and archives from a variety of disciplines, and from diverse park units, which will expose them to material culture and archival information from several geographic areas and multiple periods of history and prehistory. The project assists in the improvement of peopleâ¿¿s understanding of natural and cultural aspects of national parks and motivates youth to become involved and actively participate in protecting these resources. Techniques and standards gained from this work can be readily applied in other museum settings. The additional training and practical work experience this project will enhance the studentâ¿¿s employability in the public or private sector.

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